Professor Mama McGonagall
by tigercurselotus17
Summary: What if Harry was raised by someone other than the Dursleys? What would he have been like if someone had stopped Dumbledore from leaving The Boy Who Lived in such a blatantly abusive environment? How would he have fared without the blood magic given by living with his aunt? Minerva McGonagall takes on the challenge of raising Harry in order to save him from his horrible relatives.
1. Chapter 1

Minerva Mcgonagall was mortified, to say the very least. The thought of Harry Potter, the boy who had miraculously survived the attack from Voldemort, living here, in the most muggle place possible, was horrifying. She almost fainted when Albus suggested it in the first place.

"Albus, you can't be thinking of leaving the boy here! These people are the worst sort of muggles imaginable." She said warily, knowing that Dumbledore had already made up his mind about the whole ordeal. "This is not the right place for him."

"My dear Minerva," Albus sighed, "You know of the blood magic here. This sister is the only one able to make the best use of Lily's sacrifice. Here he will be able to live a peaceful life where he is not in the spotlight. We don't want him getting a big head over it."

"Use or no use Albus! He will not be treated with love here. You must not leave him in the hands of his aunt and uncle!"

"What else do you suggest?" Albus exclaimed, quite over talking about this subject.

"I will take him, of course."

Less than an hour later, Minerva was cradling Harry, the son of two of her former students, and the Boy Who Lived, in her arms. She had never had children herself, and the thought of having one suddenly thrust upon her was daunting. She had none of the necessary supplies to raise or house a child, so she did what anyone would naturally do, she called upon the expert of child rearing.

Molly Weasley was up with her young daughter, Ginny, for the fourth time that night when she got the letter from Minerva, asking to bring Harry to stay for a day or so. Minerva needed to settle some things and prepare a place in her smallish but comfortable house near the outskirts of London for the boy. Molly, astounded, woke Arthur, and wrote Minerva back with her approval. Five minutes later, Minerva and Harry appeared in the kitchen of the Burrow with a small pop.

"Molly, you won't believe how much this means to me." Minerva exclaimed, adjusting Harry's position in her arms. "Dumbledore would barely give him to me. He was going to leave him with his muggle relatives."

"So the rumors flying around are true? Lily and James are dead? Is You-Know-Who really gone?"

"Yes Molly, unfortunately they are all true. You-Know-Who seems to be gone."

"And Albus wanted to leave Harry with _muggles_? We would have taken him in if we would have been asked…." Molly trailed off, with a clear offer to take the boy off of Minerva's hands in her words.

"He wouldn't have asked. He was very set on leaving Harry with his relatives. You have your hands full with Ginny and Ron, I have everything under control." Minerva replied, politely and discreetly turning down Molly's subtle offer. "I know you have the two young ones, Molly, and I hate to ask, but I need a day or two to prepare for Harry to live with me. Would you and Arthur mind taking him for that time?"

"That time and any other time you need me to, Minerva. Anything for James and Lily's son."

"Thank you Molly. I will come back for Harry in less than 72 hours, please alert me if anything happens"

With that, Minerva transferred the sleeping Harry to Molly's outstretched arms. She knew that he would be safe here for the time being. Rather reluctantly, she looked at Harry one last time before disapparating to Diagon Alley.

She knew that Harry would be safe with the Weasleys. They were more than capable of caring for children. She thought back to the reluctant words spoken to her by Albus: "Keep him safe. I am watching." She knew that she was going to be on a tight leash for a while, and her leaving Harry for too long would make Albus change his mind. With a new spring in her step and sadness in her heart, she disapparated again to Godric's Hollow.

Visiting the spot where James and Lily were killed less than two days ago was devastating. But she had to do it, their ruined house would have precious mementos for Harry to grow up with. Minerva would not let him forget his parents or his past, no matter what. She, Minerva, would not let personal discomfort stand in the way of properly raising her new charge. It was not her way. She confidently strode into the ruined house, looking for the many pictures that she knew the Potters had had in their house before the attack. Finding some, she conjured a bag in which to put them while she scoured the rest of the house for other personal items. Upon entering Harry's room, she could feel the remnants of the Dark magic used by Voldemort to commit the brutal murders of Lily and James. With a slight shudder, she picked some of Harry's possessions from around the room; a blanket knitted by Molly, more pictures, and a small toy broom. She recalled when these things had been made and gifted to the young family; how happy everyone had been when Harry rode around on the broom, how much Lily had appreciated the blanket, and when the couple took their family photos to hang in the Nursery. Voldemort had ruined everything. Minerva's heart was breaking at the sight of the ruined nursery. Things shouldn't have been this way.

Finished with the task of gathering the prized possessions, Minerva left Godric's Hollow with a heavy heart. Stopping at her house, she grabbed a biscuit and dropped off the things from the Potter's house in the spare room before starting water for tea. She sat down at the table with a quill and parchment in hand, racking her brain for things that she would need in order to care for a young child. Crib, diapers, toys, baby food. The kettle sang out cheerily, calling Minerva away from her plans. Settling down with her tea, she went back to the growing list of necessities for rearing a child. The crib and toys she could either conjure up or transfigure, the other things she would need to buy. She set about doing what she could to create a nursery from the stark bleakness of her spare bedroom. Blue walls, a rocking chair, and a crib were soon in place. She created some stuffed animals from a couple of spare cloths and set her house cleaning itself. Shortly after, she left to go get the rest of the needed items.

At the Burrow, young Harry was doted upon. He was naturally scared at first, not recognizing anyone and not understanding where his parents were. He got along splendidly with the youngest son of the Weasley family, Ron. Molly and Arthur had their hands full, with the two one-year-olds and the newborn, but they managed. They were worried about Minerva, however, since she had never had any experience in child-rearing before. They knew that her time teaching at Hogwarts helped, but it was still different from raising a baby. Molly spent every waking moment knitting clothes and blankets for Harry to take with him, and she wrote her best parenting tips down to give to Minerva. Arthur made sure their house was warded against dark magic, in case any Death Eaters came for Harry. As the second day came to an end, everyone in the Weasley household (excluding the youngest three), waited anxiously for Minerva's return. They all knew that Dumbledore was unhappy with this situation, and they didn't want Minerva to get in trouble with the already angry wizard. All they could do, however, was wait.

Minerva returned to her house, arms laden with bags of supplies. With a wave of her wand, everything was organized and set up in anticipation for the new addition to the household. While the house was certainly ready for Harry's arrival, Minerva was not. She was nervous, and this perhaps, was the reason why instead of apparating to Ottery St. Catchpole, she took the train from London to Hampshire. She was now beginning to doubt. Thinking again of Harry and his other option of living with his Muggle relatives, she strengthened her resolve. She would not let Harry down, and she would prove Dumbledore wrong. Arriving at Hampshire two hours later, she let her worries fall away from her. After taking a deep breath, she turned on the spot and disapparated to the Burrow.

Upon arrival, she was slightly surprised to find how heavily the house was warded. She was almost immediately met outside the wards by Arthur, who questioned her to make sure that she was not a Death Eater in disguise. After her verification, she was allowed inside to see Harry.

"Molly! What is all of this protection for? Voldemort is gone and his followers disbanded. What have we to fear?"

"It was all just precautionary. We didn't want anyone who was a Death Eater to come here to get him. They are still out there, and many of them are angry." Molly replied.

Minerva could see their point. She was just anxious to see Harry and be sure of his well-being, which caused her to be angry at the delay. Since Minerva was to be taking the boy away, Arthur quietly excused himself to lower the wards on the house. Meanwhile, Molly went to retrieve Harry from Ron's room so Minerva could see him for the first time in almost 3 days.

"Ready to go home Harry?" She asked the young boy quietly, grateful to have him again under her care. In response, Harry nodded slightly with a smile. No sooner had the children said their goodbyes to the Professor and Harry, Arthur came running inside.

"Molly, take Minerva and the children down to the cellar and ward yourselves inside. They are attacking. GO! NOW!" He screamed. "HURRY!"

It was only then that Minerva realized who "they" were. They must have been waiting for the wards to be lowered so they could get to Harry.

The Death Eaters had arrived.


	2. Chapter 2

Five of them, cloaked in black, walked down the driveway menacingly. Minerva had only a moment before Molly grabbed the hand not holding onto Harry and pulled her down into the cellar. Quickly, before their absence could be noticed, the two witches pulled out their wands and performed the warding spells on the cellar. _Fianto Duri, Protego Horribilis, Muffliato, Protego Maxima._ As well as the wards, the pair put Disillusionment Charms on all the children and each other. It was at this point that Molly began to fret about Arthur. He was bravely facing five Death Eaters singlehandedly in order to protect them. Minerva had a hard time concentrating with all the whimpers and whispered prayers.

"Molly, for heaven's sake, hush! We need to do something. I'm going to send for help, so if you would kindly watch over the children…."

"Y...yes. Of course, Minerva. I apologize."

Minerva cast the Patronus Charm and gave it a message. Sending it to Albus, she could only hope for quick delivery.

"Molly, stay here with the children. I must go help Arthur. Promise me, if something happens, you will take care of Harry. Don't let him be taken to his Aunt and Uncle's home!" Minerva whispered quietly, handing Harry over. "I'll be back."

Exiting the cellar and sealing it off behind her, Minerva surveyed the scene with awe. No bright spells chasing each other across the lawn, no shouting or confusion. What was going on?

"Arthur? Arthur? Where are you?" She called out in the eerie silence.

"Minerva? I am in the house. I apologize for such rude treatment while you have been making your visit." Arthur called back from inside.

Walking through the door warily, Minerva was met with the strangest sight she had ever beheld. The five Death Eaters were sitting on conjured armchairs in the sitting room, being served tea by Arthur. He looked up at her upon her entrance, eyes pleading, and proceeded to sit in another armchair near her.

"Minerva, I am so glad you have stopped by. It is a shame that Molly is on an outing with the children today and has missed your visit. I presume everything is well with you?" He shakily said, glancing over at her, His eyes were wild, and she understood that she needed to go with the lie.

"Yes, Arthur, everything is well. The school season is well underway, and I just came to inform you of Charlie's latest quidditch achievement. He has managed to catch the snitch in a record 2 minutes of gametime, crushing the Hufflepuffs 170-0. We are all very proud of him for this. I am sorry that I called at such a bad time for you, obviously you are overwhelmed with houseguests." she lied evenly, playing along.

"Alright, quit yer jabbering you two dimwits. We want to know the whereabouts of Harry Potter." one of the Death Eaters growled. "Hand him over and all yer brats can live, Weasley,"

"H….h...Harry Potter? He has never been here. I have heard of no plans for him at all, in fact, the only thing I heard at all about the boy was that he survived the attack while his parents did not. Who do you think we are, that we would be trusted with the plans for the boy?" Arthur stammered. "I have never seen him in my life."

"You'll have to let us take a look around then, Weasley, If you want us to believe you." The Death Eater said. "Starting now. Go on, boys. Check the house. You two. Outside, now."

Minerva found herself being escorted outside with a Death Eater, Arthur, and the menacing feeling that now surrounded the house. Glancing at Arthur slightly, she mouthed "get his attention" and Arthur willingly but confusedly, followed the instruction. While the Death Eater was distracted, she silently fired a Disillusionment Charm at the cellar door to hide it from detection. After a while, the four Death Eaters searching the house came out, giving the all clear.

"Weasley, you got a cellar? You had best not lie to us, we will find it anyway if you do." The leader said.

"No...no. No cellar. I swear." Arthur replied. Minerva prayed for her spell to work.

The Death Eaters split up to search around the house. One of the got close to where the cellar was hidden, and Minerva held her breath. He glanced over the door, once, twice, and a third time before he was satisfied that there was nothing there. Minerva let out her pent-up breath silently in relief. Her spell had held strong and they were safe. Three minutes later, the Death Eaters disapparated and Minerva and Arthur were able to breathe freely again. The pair waited a minute to make sure that they were really gone before running to the cellar to get Molly and the children out.

Molly handed the children out one at a time before clambering out herself. Slightly shaken by the danger that had just passed, Minerva apologized for the trouble that she and Harry had caused to the family.

"Minerva, don't worry. It is our duty to help protect the Boy who Lived. We will be fine, no one was hurt, and the immediate danger has passed. No need to apologize." Arthur replied. "Although, Dumbledore will have to know about this."

"I agree Arthur, and that conversation won't be a pleasant one." Minerva sighed. "I will make it my first priority once I go back to work at Hogwarts. However, as of right now I should be introducing Harry to his new home. Once again, thank you for risking so much to protect him."

"Of course, Minerva, Harry should begin to get settled in. Write us when you can." Molly told her sternly. "Child-raising is no small feat."

With the farewells said, Minerva nodded once to each of them, pulled out her wand, and disapparated.

The arrival of Harry into the usually quiet and lonesome household was a strange one. Minerva learned her mothering duties with some difficulty, but was assisted in the beginning by both Molly and one of the Hogwarts house elves, Dinky. Minerva, though she had never had a child, was a magnificent parent. She was stern, but loving, and she soon grew to love Harry as her own. Of course, she had always loved him, but it was always out of love for James and Lily that she took care of him.

After a month of learning how to be a parent, Minerva had to return to Hogwarts. She couldn't let her students down. So, to make her job easier, she bought a small cottage in Hogsmeade for her and Harry. Things were finally good again. Older students who had free periods would babysit for some extra sickles, and when they weren't available, Dinky would take over. Albus wasn't happy about the Death Eater incident, but was slightly mollified by the smooth handling of the situation by Minerva and Arthur. The only regret that Minerva had was that she couldn't spend as much time with Harry as she wanted. Still, it was better than the neglect and abuse that he would have gotten with his aunt and uncle.

Minerva loved being a parent. She adored Harry, and he grew up loved and well cared for. As his 11th birthday drew nearer and nearer, she could see the James in him. The two were just alike, which Minerva knew would cause trouble once Harry started school. She made sure to keep him out of any limelight and whenever he would get a big head she would reprimand him. Yes, a remarkable thing had happened to the boy as a young child, but he did not need that kind of fame. He was often found at the home of the Weasleys as he grew older, especially when Minerva had to work the night watch at the school. His best friend was the youngest boy, Ronald, though he was friends with the whole family.

It was in this way that Harry spent his childhood, making friends and becoming more like his father every day. Though it was a whole nine years since Minerva had taken him in, it seemed to her that not a day had passed. Thus, she barely realized how much time had passed with him until the day after school had ended for the summer that she was looking over the list of incoming first years. His name was on this list, right by the Patil twins. Her heart skipped one small beat. Harry was going to be at school, where he would be thrust into the public light. No one had known that he was her charge except for the Order of the Phoenix and some students. Until now.


End file.
